The present invention generally relates to a book binding apparatus which is adapted to apply covers to paper blocks.
In the printing machines (copying machines) known to the art, copies of a book are produced by printing based on a block of required number of sheets per page. The sheet blocks corresponding to respective pages of the book are subject to a collator for forming collated blocks of printed sheets. The collated sheet blocks are transported to a book binding machine or a book sewing machine so as to be bound in a suitable manner. It is general practice in the art to employ the book binding machine for binding a collated paper block of a great thickness by gluing and the book sewing machine for sewing a collated sheet block of a relatively small thickness. Such book binding machines and book sewing machines will hereinafter be collectively referred to as `book binding apparatus`.
More recently, there has been developed a printing machine adapted to sequentially print on a one-sheet-per-page basis and discharge copies in the order of pages. Such a printing machine permits discharged sheets to be gathered in collated blocks which may be readily bound. In this connection, studies have been made to accomplish continuous processing steps from printing to binding by coupling the printing machine to the book binding apparatus.
FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing an exemplary arrangement in which a printing machine is coupled to a book binding apparatus adapted to bind books by gluing. Referring to the figure, a book binding apparatus 20 includes a binding start station 30, a milling station 40, a gluing station 50 and a covering station 60. A printing machine 1a feeds a collated block of printed sheets 2 to a collated block gathering station 2a whereas a printing machine 1b feeds a printed cover sheet 3 to a cover sheet gathering station 3a, the cover sheet 3 having about double the size of the collated block.
The collated block 2 is transported to the binding start station 30 via transport means, such as a conveyor belt or the like. When the book binding process is started, the collated block 2 is placed on a level plate 33 on its spine, as held between clampers 31 and 32, a lateral movement of which clampers is regulated in quantity according to a thickness of the collated block 2. In this state, the collated block is fed to the milling station 40 for the subsequent steps (as to the subsequent steps, illustrations of the clampers 31, 32 are omitted in the figure).
The milling station 40 includes a milling machine 41 and width-adjustment plates 42 and 43. The milling station 40 is adjusted in a quantity of lateral movement of the width-adjustment plates 42 and 43 according to the thickness of the collated block 2 so that the collated block 2 is aligned flush against a top surface of the milling machine 41 as allowed to pass thereover. Thus, a pre-processing is carried out for allowing a glue to be uniformly applied to the spine of the block. Subsequently, the collated block 2 with its spine aligned flush is fed to the gluing station 50. The gluing station 50 includes a gluing device 54 arranged such that a glue tank 51 contains therein a glue 5 with an application roller 53 immersed therein. The collated block 2 is subject to a gluing process so as to be applied with the glue to its spine. The glue in the glue tank 51 is heated to a suitable temperature for facilitating the application of the glue to the spine of the collated block 2.
Subsequent to the gluing process, the collated block 2 is fed to the covering station 60. In the covering station 60, the printed cover sheet 3 is already delivered onto nipper plates (squeezing plates) 61, 62 and a base plate 63 from the cover sheet gathering station 3a via a suitable transport means such as a conveyor belt or the like. The collated block 2 through the gluing process is fed to the cover sheet on the nipper plates 61, 62 and the base plate 63 so as to be bonded thereto on its spine. Then, the nipper plates 61, 62 are laterally moved by a predetermined quantity and pressed against lateral end portions of the spine of the collated block 2 from opposite sides (hereinafter referred to as `nipping`) thereby folding the cover sheet and holding the block between the folded cover sheet. Thus, the cover sheet is bonded to the collated block. The quantity of lateral movement of the nipper plates is defined with consideration given to thicknesses of the collated block 2 and the cover sheet.
The clampers 31, 32 of the binding start station 30, the width-adjustment plates 42, 43 of the milling station 40 and the nipper plates 61, 62 of the covering station 60 each constitute a laterally movable member adapted for lateral movement based on the thickness of the collated block. The laterally movable member is driven by way of suitable drive means. A clamping width and a milling width are set to predetermined values through regulation of the quantity of movement of the laterally movable members. A nipping width is set to a predetermined value with the thickness of the cover sheet taken into consideration.
FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing an arrangement of a book binding apparatus for performing the sewing process by using a stitching head. Referring to the figure, the book binding apparatus 80 includes a binding start station 81, a sewing station 82, a folding station 83, a pressing station 84, and a product gathering station 85. A collated block 2 through the printing machine is fed to the binding start station 81. On the other hand, a cover sheet 3 through the printing machine and of the same size with the collated block is transported along a direction of the arrow R in the figure to the binding start station and laid over the collated block 2.
Subsequently, the collated block 2 with the cover sheet 3 laid thereover is fed to the sewing station 82, where an unillustrated stitcher is registered to place so as to apply stitching heads 82a, 82b along a direction of the arrow P to the collated block 2 with the cover sheet 3 at predetermined positions, such as a center line thereof, thus accomplishing the sewing process. Thereafter, the collated block thus bound is fed to the folding station 83. A gap T between folding rollers 83a, 83b of the folding station 83 is already adjusted based on the thickness of the collated block 2.
A crimp is produced in the collated block 2 with the cover sheet 3 by passing through the gap between the folding rollers 83a, 83b while pressing an unillustrated fold knife against the stitched line. Although the arrangement is not illustrated in detail, both the binding process for sewing the collated block by means of the aforesaid stitcher and the folding process by means of the fold knife and the folding rollers in cooperation are techniques already known to the art.
The collated block through the sewing process is fed to the pressing station 84. In this station, a press plate 84a is lowered along a direction of the arrow Q to press a free end portion of the collated block 2, the free end portion being in opposed relation to the stitched end portion thereof. Thus, the collated block is formed into shape. The collated block 2 thus shaped is delivered to the product gathering station 85. In some cases, three or more stitching positions of the stitching heads may be provided on the collated block depending upon the size or thickness of the block. Additionally, the collated block 2 may be bound with the stitching head at a corner portion thereof.
The book binding apparatus of FIG. 7, which is adapted to bind the collated block by gluing, includes a plurality of laterally movable members and drive means for laterally moving these movable members, respectively. The book binding apparatus of FIG. 8, which is adapted to bind the collated block with the stitching heads, includes drive means for respectively driving the movable members which include the stitcher, fold knife, folding rollers and press plate. Thus, the book binding apparatus includes various drive means for performing the book binding process, which drive means require individual settings for their operative states based on the size and thickness of the block to be bound, properties and characteristics of sheets and the like.